Where to begin when preparing a presentation?

Have you ever felt like you’re working through a maze of information when having to develop a presentation? This can make the whole process an overwhelming experience.

Questions to consider

There are a number of key questions to consider:

Who will be in your audience?

What is the purpose of the presentation?

Where will you be delivering your presentation?

Once you’ve answered these three questions then it’s time to develop your presentation. Every presentation is made up of three parts:

An opening

A body

A close

Even though the presentation needs to be delivered in the order of an opening, body and close it doesn’t mean that is the order that needs to be followed when developing it.

Opening

The opening should grab the audience’s attention and provide a brief summary of what will be covered in the body of the presentation.

Body

The body expands on the key points of the presentation and provides examples to support these points.

Close

The close summarises what has been covered and has a call to action – what is it that you want your audience to do as a result of your presentation?

Once you are clear on the key questions and know the required structure of a presentation you can then focus on developing it.

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Learn About This Author

Maria Pantalone

Maria Pantalone is the author of Success Talks: Conversations with Everyday Leaders. Maria works with individuals and teams to make communication their strength so that their message is heard. She provides programs in presentation skills, business writing and effective communication as a leader and team member.